Geography of the Bahamas
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[[Image:Satellite_image_of_Bahamas_in_April_2000.jpg|right|thumb|The Bahamas from space]]
'''The [[Bahamas]]''' are a group of about 700 [[atolls]] and [[cays]] in the western [[Atlantic Ocean]], of which only between 30 and 40 are inhabited. The largest of the islands is [[Andros Island]], located {{convert|120|mi|km}} southeast of Florida. The [[Bimini|Bimini islands]] are to its northwest. To the North is the island of [[Grand Bahama]], home to the second largest city in the country, [[Freeport, Bahamas|Freeport]]. The island of [[Great Abaco]] is to its east. In the far south is the island of [[Great Inagua]], the second largest island in the country. Other notable islands include [[Eleuthera Island]], [[Cat Island, Bahamas|Cat Island]], [[San Salvador Island]], [[Acklins Island]], [[Crooked Island, Bahamas|Crooked Island]], and [[Mayaguana]] . [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]] is the capital and largest city, located on [[New Providence]]. The islands have a subtropical climate, moderated by the [[Gulf Stream]].
The islands are surface projections of the three oceanic [[Bahama Banks]], the Little Bahama Bank, the Great Bahama Bank and the westernmost [[Cay Sal Bank]]. The highest point is only seventy meters above sea level on Long Island; the island of New Providence, where the capital city of Nassau is located, reaches a maximum elevation of only thirty-seven meters. The land on the Bahamas has a foundation of fossil [[coral]], but much of the rock is [[oolitic]] [[limestone]]; the stone is derived from the disintegration of [[coral reef]]s and seashells. The land is primarily either rocky or [[mangrove swamp]]. Low scrub covers much of the surface area. Timber is found in abundance on four of the northern islands: Grand Bahama, Great Abaco, New Providence, and Andros. On some of the southern islands, low-growing tropical hardwood flourishes. Although some soil is very fertile, it is also very thin. Only a few freshwater lakes and just one river, located on Andros Island, are found in the Bahamas.
==Climate==
The climate of the archipelago is semitropical and has two seasons, summer and winter. During the summer, which extends from May through November, the climate is dominated by warm, moist tropical air masses moving north through the Caribbean. Midsummer temperatures range from 21 °C to 34 °C with a relative humidity of 60 to 100%. In winter months, extending from December through April, the climate is affected by the movement of cold polar masses from North America. Temperatures during the winter months range from 15 °C to 24 °C.
Yearly rainfall averages {{convert|1320|mm|in|abbr=off|lk=off}} and is usually concentrated in the May-June and September-October periods. Rainfall often occurs in short-lived, fairly intense showers accompanied by strong gusty winds, which are then followed by clear skies.
Winds are predominantly easterly throughout the year but tend to become northeasterly from October to April and southeasterly from May to September. These winds seldom exceed twenty-four kilometers per hour except during hurricane season. Although the hurricane season officially lasts from June to November, most hurricanes in the Bahamas occur between July and October; as of late 1987, the last one to strike was [[Hurricane David]] in September 1979. Damage was estimated at US$1.8 million and mainly affected agricultural products. The most intense twentieth-century hurricane to strike the Bahamas was the [[1929 Florida hurricane]]; winds of up to {{convert|225|km/h|mph|abbr=off|lk=off}} were recorded. Many lives were lost, and there was extensive damage to buildings, homes, and boats.
==Location==
[[Image:BahamasOMC.png|thumb|right|400px|Map of the Bahamas]]
[[Atlantic Ocean]], chain islands in the North [[Atlantic Ocean]], southeast of [[Florida]], north of [[Cuba]] and northwest of the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]].<br>
===Geographic coordinates===
{{coor dm|24|14|N|76|00|W|type:country}}
[[Central America]] and the Caribbean
*Area:
**total: 13 940 km²
**land: 10 070 km²
**water: 3 870 km²
===Area comparative===
*[[Australia]] comparative: 6 times larger than the [[Australian Capital Territory]]
*[[Canada]] comparative: a little over twice the size of [[Prince Edward Island]]
*[[United Kingdom]] comparative: slightly smaller than [[Northern Ireland]]
*[[United States]] comparative: slightly smaller than [[Connecticut]]
*Land boundaries: 0 km
*Coastline: 3,542 km
*Maritime claims:
**continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
**exclusive economic zone: 200 [[nautical mile|nmi]] (370.4 km)
**territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.224 km)
Climate: tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of [[Gulf Stream]]<br>
Terrain: long, flat [[coral]] formations with some low rounded hills
<br>Elevation extremes:
*lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
*highest point: [[Breezie Hill, Stella Maris]], on [[Long Island, Bahamas|Long Island Island]] 70 m
Natural resources: [[salt]], [[aragonite]], [[timber]]<br>
Land use:
*arable land: 1%
*permanent crops: 0%
*permanent pastures: 0%
*forests and woodland: 32%
*other: 67% (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage<br>
Environment - current issues: coral reef decay; solid waste disposal<br>
Environment - international agreements:
*party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
==See also==
*[[Bahamas]]
*[[Islands of the Bahamas]]
==References==
*{{loc}}
*{{factbook}}
==Further reading==
*{{cite journal |last=Chenoweth |first=Michael |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1998 |month= |title=The Early 19th Century Climate of the Bahamas and a Comparison with 20th Century Averages |journal=Climatic Change |volume=40 |issue=3–4 |pages=577–603 |doi=10.1023/A:1005371320672 |url= |accessdate= |quote= }}
{{Geography of North America}}
[[Category:Geography of the Bahamas| ]]
[[fr:Géographie des Bahamas]]
[[pt:Geografia das Bahamas]]